



6^6 Ut 



62d Congress) 



Jrf^iJf/ow^^} HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | °No^l484 ^ 

SYLVESTER CLARK SMITH 

( Late a Representative from California ) 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

DELIVERED IN THE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE 

OF THE UNITED STATES 

SIXTY-SECOND CONGRESS 
THIRD SESSION 



Proceedings in the House 
February 23, 1913 



Proceedings in the Senate 
March 1, 1913 



PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING 




WASHINGTON 
1914 



3 9-^ 




D. OF D. 

J'JN -a m% 



\ 






TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Page. 

Proceedings in the House 5 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D 5, 7 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Needham, of California 11 

Mr. Mondell, of Wyoming 24 

Mr. Knowland, of California 26 

Mr. Lloyd, of Missouri 31 

Mr. Hayes, of California 34 

Mr. Kahn, of California 38 

Mr. Pray, of Montana 41 

Proceedings in the Senate 45 

Prayer by Rev. Ulysses G. B. Pierce, D. D 46 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Perkins, of California 49 

Mr. Hitchcock, of Nebraska 54 

Mr. Gronna, of North Dakota 56 

Mr. Sheppard, of Texas 58 

Funeral oration by Rev. E. R. Fuller 15 

Eulogy delivered by Judge J. W. Wiley 18 



[3] 




^piJir'^" 



HOM. SYLVESTER C. SMITH 



DEATH OF HON. SYLVESTER CLARK SMITH 



Proceedings in the House of Representatives 

Monday, January 27, 1913. 
The House met at 12 o'clock noon. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
following prayer : 

Father in heaven, draw near to us as we draw near to 
Thee and fill our minds with clear perceptions, noble de- 
sires, pure convictions, and the courage to live them, that 
we may be one with Thee in the furtherance of every 
good, and thus be strengthened by imparting strength, 
wise by imparting wisdom, pure by imparting purity as 
we journey through life's rugged way, and so glorify Thee 
in a faithful service to our fellow men. 

Once more in the dispensation of Thy providence death 
has entered our family and taken from us a faithful 
servant. Comfort us and his bereaved family by the 
blessed hope of the life eternal; in Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Mr. Needham. Mr. Speaker, it is my sad duty to an- 
nounce to the House the death of the Hon. Sylvester 
Clark Smith, a Representative from the State of Cali- 
fornia. During the lifetime of Mr. Smith he requested in 
the event of his death while a Member of the House that 
there be no committee appointed to attend his funeral. I 



[5] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

have therefore omitted from the resolutions which I have 
offered any reference to a committee. 

Mr. Speaker, I offer the following resolutions and move 
their adoption. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will report the resolutions. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

House resolution 797 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of Hon. Sylvester Clark Smith, a Representative 
from the State of California. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect this House do now 
adjourn. 

The question was taken, and the resolutions were unani- 
mously agreed to. 

Thereupon (at 4 o'clock and 33 minutes p. m.) the 
House adjourned to meet to-morrow, Tuesday, January 
28, 1913, at 11 o'clock a. m. 

Tuesday, February 4, 1913. 
Mr. Needham. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
for the adoption of the following order. 
The Speaker. The Clerk will report the order. 
The Clerk read as follows : 

Ordered, That Sunday, February 23, 1913, be set apart for ad- 
dresses upon the life, character, and public services of the Hon. 
SvLVESTEH Clahk Smith, lulc a Representalive from the State of 
California. 

The Speaker. Is there objection. [After a pause.] 
The Chair hears none. 

The question was taken, and t!u> order was agreed to. 



[6] 



Proceedings in the House 



Sunday, February 23, 1913. 
The House met at 12 o'clock noon. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
following prayer : 

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the 
end of the earth will I cry unto Thee when my heart is 
overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 
For Thou hast been a shelter for me and a strong tower 
from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle forever; 
I will trust in the covert of Thy wings. 

From time immemorial, God our Father, men's 
hearts have turned instinctively to Thee in great crises 
for help, in sorrow and grief for comfort, in every con- 
tingency for inspiration and guidance; so our hearts turn 
to Thee as we assemble' in memory of men who by faith- 
ful service in State and Nation gained for themselves' 
the respect and confidence of the people, wrought well 
among us, left the impress of their personality upon our 
minds, and made a place for themselves in our hearts 
which time nor space can erase. " For we know that if 
our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we 
have a building of God, an house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens." 

" We leave this and straightway enter another palace 
of the King more grand and beautiful." 

We mourn their going, but not without hope. We are 
cast down but not overwhelmed, dismayed but not con- 
founded. 

For the love of God is broader 

Than the measures of man's mind. 
And the heart of the Eternal 
Is most wonderfully kind. 

Enter Thou O God our Father into the desolate homes 
and bind up the bruised and broken hearts with the oil of 



[7] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

Thy love, that they may look through their tears to the 
rainbow of hope and follow^ on without fear and doubting 
into that realm where all mysteries shall be solved, all 
sorrows melted into joy, soul touch soul in an everlasting 
communion, and eons of praise we will ever give to Thee, 
in the spirit of the Lord Christ. Amen. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will read the Journal of the 
proceedings of yesterday. 

Mr. Morgan of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unani- 
mous consent that the reading of the Journal be dispensed 
with. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from Louisiana asks 
unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of the 
Journal. Is there objection? [After a pause.] The 
Chair hears none. Without objection, the Journal will 
stand approved. 

There was no objection. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will report the order of busi- 
ness in reference to the Hon. Sylvester Clark Smith, 
late a Representative from California. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

On motion of Mr. Needham, by unanimous consent, 

Ordered, That Sunday, February 23, 1913, be set apart for 

addresses upon the life, character, and public services of Hon. 

Sylvesteu Clark Smith, late a Representative from the State of 

California. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will report the resolution. 
The Clerk read as follows: 

House resolution 865 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended 
that opportunity may be given for tribute to the memory of 
Hon. SvLVESTF.R Clark Smith, late a Member of this House from 
the State of California. 



[8] 



Proceedings in the House 



Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
of the deceased and in recognition of his distinguished public 
career the House at the conclusion of the memorial exercises of 
the day shall stand adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to 
the family of the deceased. 

The resolution was unanimously agreed to. 



[9] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Needham, of California 

Mr. Speaker: Sylvester Clark Smith was born on 
a farm near Mount Pleasant, Iowa, August 26, 1858, and 
died in Hollywood, Cal., Sunday, January 26, 1913. His 
grandfather was Sylvester Smith, a native of New Eng- 
land, and his father, Edward Smith, was a native of New 
York. The father moved, first, to Ohio, and then to Illi- 
nois, and in 1835 settled in Iowa, where he raised a family 
of five sons and three daughters. 

Sylvester Clark Smith, whose memory we honor to- 
day, moved to California in 1879 when 21 years old and 
taught school in Colusa County, where he married, on 
May 7, 1882, Miss Maria J. Hart. The winter of 1882 and 
1883 was spent in San Francisco studying law. The fol- 
lowing summer, in 1883, he moved to Kern County, where 
he continued to teach school and study law. In October, 
1885, he was admitted to the bar and opened a law office 
in Bakersfield, the county seat of Kern County. 

In 1886 a number of farmers bought a newspaper plant 
and established a paper for the purpose of presenting 
their views on the question of water rights, which was 
then a burning issue in our State, and especially in Kern 
County, and Mr. Smith was selected as editor of the 
paper — the Kern County Echo. Three years later he 
purchased the paper and plant and continued to be its 
principal owner until the date of his death. 

From the date that he became a citizen of Kern County 
he was one of the most active and influential residents 

[11] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

of his county, and was always an active and influential 
factor in all public questions affecting its welfare. He 
took up a homestead in the county and rode horseback 
between his home and his business in Bakersfield. He 
was a member of the local militia, Company G, and 
served during the railroad strike in 1894. 

In 1894 he was nominated by the Republican Party for 
the State senate in the district comprising Kern and San 
Luis Obispo Counties, and was elected, although the dis- 
trict was strongly against him politically. He immedi- 
ately took high rank in the legislature as an independent, 
fearless, and able legislator. In the State senate, which 
was composed of some of the ablest men of California, 
he became a leader and was acknowledged to be one of 
the best debaters in that body. He was reelected in 1898, 
and his second term in the State senate was one of great 
usefulness to the State. He stood for the best in legis- 
lation, and his entire course in the State Senate of Cali- 
fornia was one of great credit to himself, his party, and 
his district, and, in fact, to the whole State. 

He was nominated for Congress in 1904 from the eighth 
district of California by his party, and was elected, and 
reelected in 1906, 1908, and 1910. 

His service in this body is still fresh in the minds of 
those who served with him. From the first he took high 
rank here, and his progress was rapid. He obtained the 
confidence of the Members from the beginning; he was 
early recognized by the leaders of the House as a man of 
more than ordinary ability and capacity, and was singled 
out for recognition, honors, and leadership. When he 
spoke he always had the undivided attention of the 
membership. His clear, musical voice rang out and filled 
this Chamber and riveted attention. Any disorder which 
might have prevailed immediately ceased from the mo- 
ment he addressed the Speaker. He was not a large man 

[12] 



Address of Mr. Needham, of California 

physically, yet his voice was so penetrating and his man- 
ner of speech so incisive, his argument so clear and sin- 
cere, that those within hearing could not fail to listen 
and follow him. 

During his services in the House he was honored with 
membership on the Committees on Public Lands, the Post 
Office and Post Roads, Labor, and Education, and was 
one of the first to be chosen to the Rules Committee when 
the House determined to elect this committee. He was 
also a member of the Monetary Commission until ill 
health compelled him to resign. On the Committee on 
Public Lands he rendered conspicuous service, being an 
authority upon and a deep student of the public-lands 
question. His most conspicuous accomplishments while 
in this body were the obtaining of an appropriation of 
$1,000,000 to control the Colorado River and the passage 
of the Smith bill, which was a bill to remedy the effect 
of a decision known as the " yard decision " upon oil 
canals — legislation of the most vital and far-reaching im- 
portance to his constituents. 

Representative Smith was a man of supreme courage; 
he had his convictions and resolutely held to them. He 
would not compromise for the sake of temporary popu- 
larity. He at all times, whether in his paper, on the 
stump, or in legislative hall, would maintain and defend 
his convictions. He hated and despised a political trim- 
mer. At no time in his career would he surrender his 
views to curry favor or gain popular applause. 

He was supremely loyal to the community in which he 
lived; no labor was too great to advance its best interests. 
He was constantly planning for its betterment and was 
full of ideas for its improvement and growth. 

He was greatly attached to his work as a Member of 
this House. He enjoyed his work here, and here he 
found a field suitable to his tastes and talents. Long 

[13] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

after ill health had made it apparent to his friends that 
he must give up his activities here, he refused to cease 
his labors, and his determined devotion to duty shortened 
his life. 

I first became acquainted with Mr. Smith while he was 
serving his first term in the State senate, about the year 
1897. Our relations became intimate after he became a 
Member of this House. We occupied adjoining rooms in 
the House Office Building. We generally walked home 
together daily upon the adjournment of the House, and 
we became strong personal friends. His family and my 
family enjoyed an intimate association. 

His death to me is like the passing of a near relative, 
and there are but few men whose going would cause the 
same sense of personal loss. 

Some years ago he requested me to see to it that in the 
event of his death while a Member of this body no com- 
mittee be appointed to attend his funeral. This request 
was characteristic of the man and typical of his simple 
and unostentatious life; free, as it ever was, of all pomp. 

Mr. Speaker, this Congress has lost by death a large 
number of its membership, but in the long list of de- 
parted colleagues none more faithfully represented his 
constituency than did Sylvester Clark Smith, of Cali- 
fornia. He died in the very noontide of his life — he was 
cut off at the very height of his abilities — at a time when 
by reason of his experience his State could ill afford to 
spare him. 

Mr. Speaker, my association with my late colleague 
was so close that it is difficult for me to speak impartially 
of his life, character, and public services. Upon the oc- 
casion of his funeral, in Bakcrsficld, his^ home city, there 
was an immense throng from all walks of life gathered 
to do honor to their most distinguished fellow citizen and 
to pay their last sad tribute to the memory of one they all 

[14] 



Address of Mr. Needham, of California 

loved and honored in life and mourned in death. It was 
a tribute that will long be remembered by the citizens of 
Kern County, and worthy of all those who participated in 
the loving remembrance in honor of Kern County's lead- 
ing citizen. 

Sylvester Clark Smith is dead, and we shall miss his 
cheery voice and his always pleasant personality; his 
friends, while cast down, still are proud of his life and 
its accomplishments, for the world is better because of 
his life. 

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to print as sup- 
plementary to my remarks addresses delivered upon the 
occasion of his funeral by Rev. E. R. Fuller and Hon. J. W. 
Wiley. 

The Speaker. Is there objection? The Chair hears 
none. 



The addresses are as follows: 

Funeral Oration by Rev. E. R. Fuller 

To-day we are met on a mission at once most sad and most 
sacred. At every step of my preparation I have met troops of 
thronging memories that sweep across the field of the last 15 
years — years fraught with larger meaning than we are apt to 
think. 

" Every character is the joint product of nature and nurture." 
How much of good and evil we inherit — not merely from parents, 
but from a long line of ancestors! "Who shall estimate the power 
wrapped in the spirit of a newborn babe, forces the germs of 
which are transmitted from generation to generation? Nature, 
thrifty and provident, gathers up these fragments that nothing 
be lost and rearranges them in new character combinations. 
Thus each child is the " heir of all the ages." But however much 
we inherit, nurture to us is the more important, since it is under 
our direction and control. 

Sylvester Clark Smith was born August 26, 1858, on a farm 
in Iowa. His mother died when he was but 8 years old. Yet her 
splendid Christian influence in those early years was a prime 

11357°— 14 2 [15] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

factor in molding his sterling character. He was trained in the 
district school and a local academy. At 18 he began teaching to 
better fit himself for life. At 21 he came to California. Four 
years later (in the summer of 1883) he came to Kern County and 
settled in this city in December, 1885, which has since been his 
home. 

During the first six years in California he taught school and 
studied law in Colusa, San Francisco, Ventura, and Kern Counties. 
He claimed as his bride Miss Maria J. Hart, who has been such 
»n efficient helpmeet. Of this union two daughters have blessed 
and brightened the home — Mrs. E. S. Larsen, of Washington, D. C, 
and Mrs. A. W. Mason, of this city. 

Kern County is still considered one of the newest and most 
undeveloped of all the counties of this great State. But when Mr. 
Smith brought his family here it had but one resident where 
now it has five, and financially, educationally, and religiously the 
contrast was even greater. His course was over a rough road in 
this new West, but difficulties are not necessarily disadvantages. 
In his case the necessity to work was joined with a capacity and 
determination to work in things that were a succession of solid 
stepping-stones to a higher destiny. 

Personally I am persuaded that the improved conditions that 
we enjoy have been made possible in no small measure by the 
clean, public-spirited young school-teacher who came to this 
county in 1883. For 30 years he has given himself without 
reserve as teacher, lawyer, editor. State senator, and Congress- 
man, and true friend to this, his chosen county. To this city 
and county he has given his best. When not on duty elsewhere, 
here was where he longed to be. His last thoughts on the evening 
before he rested from his labors were as to how he could help 
better the moral conditions in this city. He had a passion for 
doing good. He never found it necessary to make war upon 
society in order to capture a field for the exercise of his splendid 
powers. Bring your choicest flowers to his bier, but fail not 
to carry away the lessons of his life — "the flower of manhood 
and the wreath of honor." 

Fair, fearless, independent, capable, he has stood steadfastly for 
betterment of every kind. His principles were noble, his ambi- 
tions lofty, his spirit and poise fine. His sainted mother builded 
well, for this her son was alive with a simple, sincere Christian 
faith and a purpose high and holy. He loved the church well 

[16] 



Funeral Oration by Rev. E. R. Fuller 

and was generous in its support. One of the last letters he dic- 
tated and signed was to urge better church equipment and to 
pledge his full cooperation. 

In his lingering sickness he was patient and gracious to the 
last. "When a caller asked if he suffered, he would say, "The 
Lord is very good to me, for I do not suffer. I am just comfort- 
ably sick." As Paul wrote (Titus i, 18), "Given to hospitality, 
a lover of good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled." The 
fitting text a close friend chose was this, " Not slothful in busi- 
ness, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." (Romans xii, IL) 

Aside from his perfect candor, nothing impressed me more 
than his splendid mastery of himself. I have seen him under 
very trying circumstances, but I never saw him lose his self-con- 
trol. This may explain in part how, even when under the strain 
of public life at "Washington, he found time to respond to every 
earnest, honest appeal, whether it was that of a Chinaman with 
visions of wealth through a patent or a schoolboy wanting help 
in debate. Each time he was prompt, thorough, painstaking, 
often writing many pages in reply. 

Remember, friends, it is Congressman Smith, and not ex-Con- 
gressman. He fell with his armor on. Never was mind more 
alert or heart more responsive to every worthy cause. Never 
has his honor been impeached or his reputation sullied by charges 
of corruption. 

Suffice it to say he never brought 

His conscience to the public mart. 
But lived himself the truth he taught, 

"VV^hite-souled, clean-handed, pure of heart. 

By means of mails and messages he kept to the very last in 
closest touch with matters in general, yet more especially here in 
Bakersfield and in "Washington. On that last day a public docu- 
ment called to his attention the fact that 16 Members of this 
Sixty-first Congress had died. Before the sun had risen he was 
the seventeenth. 

Such are some of my wandering thoughts in the face of this 
our sorrow. 

To these loved ones our hearts go out in deepest sympathy. 
But, oh, the weakness of words. The memory of loved ones gone 
should be a tower of strength. What they achieved and aspired 

[17] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

to should nerve us to meet worthily the present. What an 
anodyne of grief are rightly cherished memories. What a solemn 
pride must these dear ones feel to have laid so great an offering 
on the altar of civic betterment. 

A good man's influence is felt by multitudes. It is not limited 
to this life, but reaches onward to the eternal future. Virtue is 
not only an antidote for life's greatest evils, but it is the chief 
measure of present enjoyment. It secures the approval of one's 
conscience, harmony of one's faculties and affections, the regard 
of one's fellow men, and hope beyond the grave. His life is an 
inspiration, a breath of new life, of quickening, purifying, and 
elevating power. Forget not that as we exhibit the virtues of 
faithfulness we embalm his memory and pay him our best 
tribute. 

Not many great, not many mighty have gone forth from this 
city to worthily advance State and National honor. To-day we 
pay tribute to a child of the prairie, who came to us in the prime 
of young manhood. The blood of the Pilgrims flowed in his 
veins. In a simple, yet sublime, spirit he climbed by sterling 
worth and indomitable courage to a prominent place in the 
Nation's council chambers. This friend and neighbor that we 
had learned to love and trust went from us that he might serve 
us and all humanity better. 

Human hopes and human creeds 
Have their root in human needs. 

Humble child of the prairie, laborer, teacher, lawyer, politician, 
orator, statesman, true Christian, and true man, we receive and 
will cherish the lessons of thy life. We are grateful to thee that 
thou wast true to thyself, to us, and to thy Maker; grateful also 
to that Providence that endowed and led and consecrated thee 
to the sacred cause of civic righteousness. Dead, do they say? 
Nay, that can not be. Thou resteth from thy labors, but livest 
unfettered a more abundant life. 



Eulogy Delivered ky Judge J. W. Wiley 

This occasion brings us together in sorrow and pride. Although 
death is as common as life, it ever brings sorrow as deep as was 
our friendship, love, gratitude, and esteem in life. The sorrow 



[18] 



Eulogy by Judge J. W. Wiley 



and esteem are more eloquently manifested by this multitude of 
sad faces than words at my command can express. Yet de- 
pressed as we are we are filled with pride that the distinguished 
dead, in whose honor and memory resolutions have been passed 
on both shores of this Nation, was our dear friend and neighbor. 
He was one of us. He worked and toiled and suffered with us 
in our undertakings; he sympathized with us in our failures and 
rejoiced with us in our successes. It is fitting and proper for 
the National Congress, the State legislature, the commercial and 
civic bodies of other communities to give expression of their high 
esteem and appreciation of his worth as a public man, but we 
knew him by the shake of the hand, the kindly smile, the neigh- 
borly acts of kindness, and his words of good cheer. We were 
and are proud of his successes in public life because he won 
them on merit. He asked no odds, he claimed no preference. 
Think not you, however, that his career has been one of easy 
victories and triumphal marches. On the contrary, he bore the 
cross before he wore the crown. He was chastened by fire. 
While he never felt the pinch of poverty, his early life was one 
of toil and self-denial. He once said to me: "I had to learn how 
to be poor." He began at the bottom with nothing to aid him 
but his own individuality. He realized and appreciated as a 
maxim that he would be accepted at what his own efforts and 
trials of character made him. His industry, his devotion to duty, 
his high standard of morals, both public and private, and a 
patient continuity of purpose constituted the elements of his 
success. As editor of the Kern County Echo, since 1888, he has 
been identified with the public affairs of this community. Turn 
back to the old files of the Echo and you will find him advocating 
and suggesting plans and schemes for the betterment and general 
welfare of Bakersfield and Kern County. Bakersfield was not in- 
corporated as a city until 1898, but you will find in these editorial 
columns that the deceased had been consistently and continuously 
arguing and pleading for a municipal government for many 
years. Those of you who were citizens of Bakersfield at the time 
need not be told of his activities in promoting the San Joaquin 
Valley Railroad, which is now a part of the Santa Fe system. He 
was active in organizing the local board of trade, and became its 
president. Later he promoted the San Joaquin Valley Commercial 
Association and became its executive head. 



[19] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 



IN STATE SENATE 

In the State senate, by virtue of his clearness of insight and 
quick perception, his power of discrimination and ability as a 
debater readily won him recognition and leadership. I have 
known many of his colleagues in the senate, and the esteem and 
respect in which he is held by them is a priceless legacy to those 
who hold his memory dear. To speak in detail of the measures 
and policies he initiated and brought into law as a member of 
the State senate would extend beyond proper limitations. 

But some deserve mention. His greatest pride in his legislative 
achievement was the establishment of the California Polytechnic 
School, at San Luis Obispo. His theory of life was that every 
person who was honest and industrious and frugal should be 
able to establish and maintain a home, rear a family, and com- 
fortably house, clothe, and feed them, educate them, have time 
to enjoy their society, and accumulate a competency for the in- 
firmities of old age. To bring this about he believed that labor 
should be rendered more efficient and less irksome. To do this 
the followers of industrial pursuits should be educated and 
trained to their respective pursuits. To this problem he gave his 
early attention as a legislator. At his first session, in 1895, he got 
the measure passed in the senate, but failed in the assembly. In 
1897 it passed both houses, but was vetoed by the governor. Ses- 
sion after session he labored for the measure, and it finally be- 
came a law in 1901 and the school was established. The object 
of the institution may be quoted from the law establishing it: 
" The purpose of this school is to furnish to young people of both 
sexes mental and manual training in the arts and sciences, in- 
cluding agriculture, mechanics, engineering, business methods, 
domestic economy, and such other branches as will fit the stu- 
dents for the nonprofessional walks of life. This act shall be 
liberally construed, to the end that the school established hereby 
may at all times contribute to the industrial welfare of the State 
of California." 

In 1904 he was elected to the House of Representatives in Con- 
gress from the eighth congressional district of California. 

CONGRESSIONAL CAREER 

Of his achievements in Congress I would mention his securing 
an appropriation of $2,000,000 to protect the settlers in Imperial 
Valley from the ravages of the Colorado River. In 1911, when 

[20] 



Eulogy by Judge J. W. Wiley 



death seemed impending, he secured, against determined oppo- 
sition, the passage of what is called the Smith bill, whereby the 
investors in located oil land were saved from the effect of a 
decision of the Department of the Interior that threatened and 
jeopardized investments of millions of dollars in the oil lands of 
this country. 

In 1908 he was appointed as a member of a joint committee 
from the Senate and House of Representatives on what is known 
as the National Monetary Commission. This was his highest 
recognition in public life. He had then served in Congress less 
than two terms, and was selected as one of nine from the total 
membership of the House of Representatives to collaborate and 
devise a monetary system that would better meet the needs and 
requirements of the complexities of our financial conditions. 
From this commission he was compelled to resign two years later 
by declining health. One of his first efforts after becoming a 
Member of Congress was to introduce a bill looking to the con- 
struction of a Federal post-office building in Bakersfield. In 1910 
he secured an appropriation of $20,000 for a site, and there is 
now included in the proposed general appropriation bill of Con- 
gress a recommendation by the Public Buildings Committee for 
the appropriation of $135,000 for the erection of a post-office 
building at Bakersfield. That the appropriation will be made is 
practically assured, and we may confidently hope to see the 
edifice stand in the near future as a monument to his efforts in 
behalf of his home city. 

With this brief recital of a few of the more salient events in 
the career of our friend and neighbor, our thoughts are turned 
by the hand of death from history into the field of speculation. 
"We may, in reason, believe that had he been given the average 
allotment of life, had he been permitted to enjoy the twilight of 
old age, he could have reviewed a career marked by achievements 
greater and more distinguished than those we here commemorate. 
But such was not to be. His sun went down at noon, leaving the 
harvest half gathered. But we are left more than a memory. 
We have another demonstration that the cherished hopes of the 
founders of this Government have been realized. It is a saying, 
far too common, that the poor man or the child of obscurity is 
here without opportunity or possibility of progress. Congress- 
man Smith has proved that by industry, by fidelity to duty, hon- 
esty of purpose, and courage in defeat and disappointment the 



[21] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

child of obscurity may achieve fame and recognition. But his 
courage was not that of the bulldog. It was the courage of his 
convictions, that could stand in the face of temptation or threat- 
ened defeat. These elements of success are not peculiar to the 
statesman, but apply to every vocation known to civilization and 
have no exceptions. Take any merchant, any professional man, 
or any mechanic who has won distinction in his vocation and you 
will find one who has traveled the road from the bottom. 

A MAN OF THE PLAIN PEOPLE 

But in the everyday walks of life he was at his best. His hand 
was ever ready to do charity, but always without ostentation. 
His charity was not limited to giving alms but was based in a 
broad and deep human sympathy. Did anyone need work? 
Smith would find time to help him get a job. Did a stranger 
come within our gates? Smith would give him the glad hand 
of welcome and make him feel at home. In the hour of his 
triumph he seemed to cling the more closely to the old friends 
in adversity. Their companionship was ever welcome and he 
seemed happiest when they were gathered round his board 
enjoying his hospitality. He had self-confidence, but it was 
never tainted with bigotry or egotism. He was democratic in 
the purest sense. 

As a guest, who may not stay 
Long and sad farewells to say, 
Glides with smiling face away. 

Of the sweetness and the zest 
Of thy happy life possessed 
Thou hast left us at thy best. 

Now that thou hast gone away. 
What is left of one to say 
Who was open as the day? 

What is there to gloss or shun? 
Save with kindly voices none 
Speak thy name beneath the sun. 



[22] 



Eulogy by Judge J. W. Wiley 



Safe thou art on every side; 
Friendship nothing finds to hide; 
Love's demand is satisfied. 

Over manly strength and worth, 
At thy desk of toil, or hearth. 
Played the lambent flame of mirth. 

Mirth that lit, but never burned; 
All thy blame to pity turned; 
Hatred thou hadst never learned. 

Every harsh and vexing thing 
At thy home fire lost its sting; 
Where thou wast was always spring. 

And thy perfect trust in good, 
Faith in man and womanhood. 
Chance and change and time withstood. 

Small respect for cant and whine. 
Bigot's zeal and hate's malign 
Had that sunny soul of thine. 



[23] 



Address of Mr. Mondell, of Wyoming 

Mr. Speaker: It was my good fortune to be intimately 
acquainted and to sustain pleasant friendly relations with 
Sylvester Clark Smith during his entire service in the 
House of Representatives. Coming from the same region 
of the country, serving on the same committee, and hold- 
ing to a considerable extent like views on many public 
questions, it was natural that the acquaintance that 
formed should ripen into a friendship which continued 
to the close of Mr. Smith's service here. 

Few men whom I have met during my service in this 
body have impressed me as our late colleague did with 
the intense earnestness of his character and the stead- 
fastness of his opinion. He was not only a man of strong 
convictions, but he possessed to a marked degree the 
courage to back up and express his opinions and convic- 
tions under any and all circumstances. In every walk 
of life men are constantly under temptation to compro- 
mise views and opinions and to withhold emphatic 
expression of them when they are not in harmony with 
the views of those with whom they associate or with local 
or general public opinion. Within reasonable bounds it 
is not a sign of weakness, and it is entirely proper, for 
one to yield to such influences. In order to secure results 
and make headway it is frequently necessarj' for us to 
somewhat compromise our extreme views and opinions. 
It is not only a gracious concession, it is often the part 
of wisdom to refrain from over-emphasizing views that 
may be offensive or obnoxious to others. But all this 
must be within reason, for one should never compromise 
on a matter of principle, and a disposition of ready com- 



[24] 



Address of Mr. Mondell, of Wyoming 

promise on matters of policy may entirely defeat our 
usefulness. 

Our departed friend was one of those who seldom un- 
wisely yielded to a compromise of his views and opinions. 
Always thorough, honest, and painstaking in his investi- 
gation of questions and problems, his opinions with regard 
to them when finally formed were so firm, steadfast, and 
sincere that he maintained them as emphatically and 
valiantly among those holding different views, and at a 
time when other views were popular, as he did when his 
opinion was the prevalent one and therefore easy to 
maintain. Mr. Smith had a world of good qualities — he 
was fair and faithful, just and reasonable, but above all 
things he was sincere in his convictions and fearless and 
persistent in maintaining them. 

Those who have been long in public life, who realize 
how great is the temptation to timeserving, to drift along 
with a wave of popular sentiment, or through hypocrisy 
and demagoguery to advance it, can not fail to have a 
high regard and a sincere admiration for those qualities 
of honesty and sincerity of opinion and expression which 
characterized him in whose honor we are gathered here 
to-day. No period of Mr. Smith's life illustrated his real 
courage better than the last months, when he maintained 
his courage and a large degree of cheerfulness in the face 
of increasing certainty that his days were numbered. I 
have counted it one of the most cherished experiences of 
my service here that I have acquired and retained the 
friendship of this honest, just, and steadfast man. The 
recollection of his virtues will be a comfort to all those 
who mourn him and an inspiration to all who knew him. 



[25] 



Address of Mr. Knowland, of California 

Mr. Speaker : My first acquaintance with Congressman 
Smith dates back to 1899, 14 years ago, when I entered 
the lower branch of the Legislature of the State of Cali- 
fornia. He was then a member of the State senate, in 
which body he served for eight years. He had the repu- 
tation of being one of the most able fighters in either 
branch of the legislature, a characteristic which distin- 
guished him throughout his public career and which he 
manifested up to the very last in his heroic struggle 
against death. 

I recall having passed through the assembly a bill in 
which I was particularly interested, providing against 
home study for children under a certain age, and the 
prospect that this bill was likely to become a law filled 
my young heart with pride. The day of its considera- 
tion by the senate I walked over to that chamber con- 
vinced that the members of that body would appreciate 
its many meritorious provisions. It was one of my first 
bills, and every legislator appreciates how wrapped up 
we may become in the first measure we father. Senator 
Smith rose in his seat and proceeded to vigorously 
attack certain features of my measure, and no doubt he 
was right, being largely instrumental in bringing about 
its defeat, although a reconsideration was later had and 
the bill passed. When the roll call disclosed the defeat 
of my pet bill, young and inexperienced as I then was, I 
convinced myself that Smith and I could never be friends. 
But I soon grew to admire and respect him, and later, 
when we joined issue in a contest before the legislature 
to bring about the defeat of one candidate for United 

[26] 



Address of Mr. Knowland, of California 

States Senator and the election of another, we became 
friends, which friendship grew when he entered this body 
at the beginning of the Fifty-ninth Congress. 

As a State senator Smith was active and effective. He 
was deeply interested in the introduction of manual train- 
ing in the schools of his State. It was largely through 
his efforts that the State polytechnic school at San Luis 
Obispo was erected. Smith was a thorn in the side of 
every lobbyist who attempted to slip through the legisla- 
ture an apparently harmless bill which contained hidden 
away somewhere what is frequently termed a " bug." 
He woidd find the objectionable language and point out 
its baneful effect when others had failed to discover any- 
thing wrong in an apparently innocent bill. 

Sylvester Smith early developed those traits of char- 
acter so essential to success in public life. His word was 
always good. He never hesitated to declare where he 
stood. He fought fairly but always vigorously. His 
judgment was sound. When the House Office Building 
was completed and we selected offices, Smith and I occu- 
pied adjoining rooms. I consulted with him frequently, 
for he was 15 years my senior, and I always found his 
advice to be sound. 

The Morning Echo, published in Bakersfield, Cal., 
which paper Smith edited and controlled, was a paper 
widely read and quoted throughout the State, because of 
its able editorials. Its opinions were sound, although not 
always following public sentiment in California, which 
within recent years has been somewhat variable. The 
paper was always independent and courageous, like its 
able editor. His physical courage was illustrated many 
years ago when there came into the Echo office a man 
with a revolver in one hand and a clipping from the 
paper in the other, the gun being leveled at Smith's head. 
A demand was made that the editor retract. Smith 

[27] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

coolly told one of his men to phone for the sheriff, and 
continued to write at his desk. 

In life we too frequently see striking examples of at- 
tempts to place round men in square holes, or the reverse. 
I am of the opinion that in legislative life particularly 
no man is a success unless he possesses a special liking 
for the work. Smith had a special aptitude for legis- 
lative work. I remember the last time he came into this 
Chamber, and after I had helped him from his carriage 
to his seat, that he said to me, with just a tinge of sadness 
in his voice: 

Knowland, I wish I was able to stay here. I like the work 
and the opportunity it gives one to keep in touch with public 
affairs. It is worth while. 

Smith was successful here because he loved the work. 
He was not only interested in legislation, but he enjoyed 
the game of politics. He did not become easily discour- 
aged, as do many men who enter this body, because he 
could not upset existing conditions and reform the coun- 
try in a day. He worked hard. His career gives the lie 
to the contention that a man succeeds here largely 
through luck. It is no more true here than elsewhere. 
A man succeeds here because of work — constant work 
and close attention to duties. 

Congressman Smith's ability and aptitude for work 
were recognized by the House leaders, and he was given 
some of the best committee assignments of any Member 
from the Pacific coast. He was a member of the Commit- 
tee on Rules, at that time looked upon as one of the most, 
if not the most, important of the House committees. He 
was also a member of Committees on the Public Lands and 
the Post Office and Post Roads. Smith was responsible 
for much legislation of value to his State and countrj\ He 
was a member of the National Monetarj'^ Commission. 
As a member of the Public Lands Committee he never 

[28] 



Address of Mr. Knowland, of California 

hesitated to freely and publicly criticize policies of the de- 
partment which he believed to be wrong and not in the 
interest of the people of his State. 

Congressman Smith was not easily carried off his feet. 
He held convictions which took more than temporary 
waves of public sentiment which sweep across the country 
to change. He loved a fight, and I believe he would 
rather at any time have addressed a hostile audience 
than one which held opinions similar to his. 

When the insidious disease which later carried him off 
first manifested itself his colleagues pleaded with him to 
go home, where the balmy climate might have effected a 
cure in those early stages of the disease. But he would 
not go. As long as he could stand upon his feet he in- 
sisted on working. There was so much to do that he did 
not feel that he could leave. Like the good soldier he 
remained at his post of duty as long as his physical 
strength permitted. 

Occasions like this to-day are sufficiently sad when we 
meet to mourn the loss of those called after the shadows 
of evening have gathered, when the sun is sinking beneath 
the horizon, and when the storms and struggles of life are 
over and the peace and quiet of advancing age have stolen 
into the heart. But in this instance we feel more keenly 
the loss, perhaps, because we have assembled to pay lov- 
ing tribute to one called in the noontime of his useful- 
ness, when the sun was shining high in the heavens and 
when hope was in the heart, strength in the arm, and 
courage in the soul. The calling of one in the full vigor 
of his manhood causes the uncertainty of life to loom up 
before us. 

Sylvester Smith possessed a happy disposition. He 
was an optimist. He had no patience with the pessimist. 
He was happy and contented because he sought to cheer 
and brighten the lives of those with whom he came in 

[29] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 



contact. He leaves the heritage of a pure and upright 
life. He possessed character, and nothing is more im- 
portant or essential. In his death California has lost a 
valuable citizen and an experienced legislator. Well 
could he approach the mysterious change calmly, bravely, 
cheerfully, and with a consciousness of duty faithfully 
performed, for he had lived an upright and honest life. 
The California delegation will greatly miss him. 

Mr. Needham at this point assumed the chair as Speaker 
pro tempore. 



[30] 



Address of Mr. Lloyd, of Missouri 

Mr. Speaker: Mr. Smith, the subject of to-day's me- 
morial, represented the southwest corner district in the 
United States. He lived in the country of the orange and 
lemon, near the coast on the west of California, in a local- 
ity where frost is seldom found and ice is almost un- 
known excepting on the mountains, whose lofty peaks 
are contihuously snow-capped and in full sight from the 
plains of green, which are covered with tropical growth. 

Mr. Smith pursued the course so common to the pro- 
fessional and official classes. Reared on a farm, he after- 
wards taught school and became a lawyer, following the 
avocations engaged in by many of the men who now oc- 
cupy place amongst us. Mr. Smith, however, later en- 
gaged in journalism, and his first venture was in the 
locality in which he lived. He was chosen editor of a 
small weekly paper for the purpose of forwarding a 
certain movement, but his paper so prospered that later 
it developed into a splendid country weekly, and finally 
into a daily publication which exerted quite an influence 
in molding sentiment in his district. 

I knew Mr. Smith quite well here, and found him to be 
an honest and courageous man. He had decided convic- 
tions which sometimes made him appear to be biased 
in his judgments, but I do not believe that his sincerity 
of purpose could be questioned. I knew him not as a 
partisan in politics, but as a business Representative. My 
work with him was in postal matters, where there is 
little room for partisanship to assert itself. He proved 
himself there to be a useful investigator after truth and 
a man with a purpose — that of endeavoring to ascertain 

113570—14 3 [31] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

what was most beneficial to the people in the matter of 
maintenance, continuance, and enlargement of our splen- 
did postal service. 

How strangely different men reach the end of life's 
work! Our colleagues frequently die suddenly or after 
short illnesses, but Mr. Smith knew for many months 
that the disease preying upon him would never lose its 
grasp. The angel of death in his case gave every warn- 
ing of its approach and every step of its unwelcome com- 
ing was duly considered. Occasionally men are found 
who shudder at the thought, of dissolution. Others ap- 
proach the end with calmness and serenity and make 
their exit with as little disturbance as if they were called 
to step across a tiny brook, while a few appear to even 
rejoice at the prospect of a change. To them life seems 
irksome and death the goal desired. 

Over 3,000 miles away, under the same sun which 
shines upon us here, lie the mortal remains of Sylvester 
Clark Smith, but the spirit which left its earthly habita- 
tion lives and is meeting the reward of his life service in 
this beautiful world. The earthly ties which bound him 
to those about him are severed, but love for him and 
friendly feeling were not buried with his body, but live 
to bless and revere his memory. His friends will miss 
him, because they knew and appreciated his worth. 

Mr. Smith was not reckoned amongst the great leaders 
of the House, but belonged to that working class which is 
expected to delve into and work out the plans of others. 
While not the pliant tool of anyone, he was subject 
always to the direction of his party. He was truly a par- 
tisan, but a patriot as well. He believed that the good 
of the country could best be conserved through the party 
with which he was affiliated. There is a disposition at 
present to drift away from party organization and con- 
sider lightly party ties, but many of the best thinkers hold 

[32] 



Address of Mr. Lloyd, of Missouri 



to the belief that party organization and party success 
are essential for the country's good. And this was the 
view of Mr. Smith. 

This life is a mystery. Man is here for a day and 
passes away. He has in him the spirit of immortality. 
How that can be and this body abandoned to the elements 
of nature we can not tell. This is a life of hardship and 
sorrow. With every source of comfort there seems to 
come a corresponding sorrow. Earthly ties are formed, 
love's fires kindled, friendship's charms are enjoyed while 
men live, but only last for a time, for separations come, 
bonds of affection are severed, family circles, the most 
sacred, are cut asunder, and the most fearful afflictions 
come whose intensity is measured by the strength of 
the bonds of affection and interest. 

Mr. Smith has gone, but his going has brought greatest 
sorrow to those to whom he was most closely bound. 

There is consolation in the thought that his life here 
was a benediction and there is another life where re- 
unions are perpetual, separations never come, and happi- 
ness is fully enjoyed. 



[33] 



Address of Mr. Hayes, of California 

Mr. Speaker: It is altogether fitting that we should 
upon an occasion of this kind call to mind and put into 
permanent form in the Record of this House our pleasant 
memories of our departed colleagues. Although they 
have passed from the earth where this service can do them 
no good, it can but stimulate in us who participate in it 
the tenderest and noblest emotions. When a man has 
faithfully served the people and added luster to member- 
ship in this House, it should be a pleasing duty to bear 
testimony to his honesty, fidelity, and ability. 

I first met Sylvester Clark Smith at Sacramento about 
the year 1899 when he was a member of the Senate of 
California. He impressed me then as a man of great 
energy and force of character, who had the deepest con- 
victions upon most subjects and the courage to back them 
up in debate on the floor of the senate. In 1905 I entered 
the Fifty-ninth Congress with Mr. Smith, and a continu- 
ous service with him as a Member of this House up to the 
time of his death confirmed me in this first estimate of his 
character. His service to his constituents was marked by 
great zeal and industry in their interest, while at the same 
time he took an active part in legislation not local in 
character but wliich affected the whole people of the 
Nation. Until disease began some two years ago to sap 
his vitality and undermine his strength Mr. Smith's dis- 
cussions of public questions upon this floor were most 
able and illuminating. He never undertook to discuss a 
question to which he had not given earnest and exhaus- 
tive study. His speeches here were not frequent, but 



[34] 



Address of Mr. Hayes, of California 

when he did speak he always had something to say that 
was both interesting and instructive to his colleagues. 
He never permitted himself to fill up the Record with 
platitudes, vaporous nothings, errors, or technical objec- 
tions, in order to impress his constituents with his great 
activity as a leading Member of the House. "Whenever he 
spoke he had a high purpose to serve and never de- 
scended to the tricks of the demagogue. While I fre- 
quently did not agree with liim on public questions, I here 
and now cheerfully accord to him perfect honesty and 
loyalty to what he believed to be the highest interests of 
his country in the discharge of his duties as a Member of 
this House. 

Whatever faults Mr. Smith had, cowardice was not one 
of them. That the things he believed and advocated 
were unpopular seemed to make no difference to him. 
He represented a constituency almost wholly rural. His 
people, by a large majority, favored a large extension of 
the parcel post, but this did not deter him from making 
a strong speech against it and circulating it in his district. 
He believed that the extensive enlargement and lowering 
of rates proposed by those who advocated a parcel post 
would sound the death knell of the retail merchant, and 
especially of the small country merchant. He did not 
believe that this result would be for the ultimate benefit 
of the country people themselves. Therefore, regardless 
of the political consequences to himself, he grimly en- 
tered the war to prevent the result that he feared. Many 
of us might well emulate this virtue of courage which he 
exemplified to a marked degree. 

But he has gone from us and from those he loved to 
other scenes and associations. I think I am disclosing 
no secret when I say that one of his bitterest thoughts 
when he faced death was that he must give up his seat 



[35] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

on this floor, with its pleasant association of friendships, 
and must cease his activities in the intellectual and legis- 
lative struggles of this great body, all of which was most 
attractive to him and in all of which he found the keenest 
enjoyment. Let us hope that his regrets at leaving the 
earthly activities of his life may have disappeared in the 
enjoyment of the realities of the heavenly kingdoin. 

When our friends leave us I like to try to forget the 
pain of parting by projecting myself into the great be- 
yond, as it were, and participating in the joy of the meet- 
ing over there. I like to strive to realize that it is com- 
paratively but a day in the future when each of us must 
answer the call of the boatman and row over the waters 
of the dark river to the beautiful shores upon the other 
side. I love to think of the reuniting of those blessed 
ties of love and friendship which are not fully severed by 
death, but only interrupted for a little, waiting the time 
when we, too, shall be called to take our places with the 
great company in the beyond. Let thoughts like these 
fill the hearts of those whom he loved and who loved him 
and soften their grief and enable them to say, with the 
poet: 

When for me the silent oar 
Parts the silent river, 

And I stand upon the shore 
Of the strange forever, 

Shall I miss the loved and known? 

Shall I vainly seek mine own? 

Shall I vainly seek mine own? 

Can the bonds that make us here 

Know ourselves immortal 
Drop away like foliage sere 

At life's inner portal? 
What is holiest below 
Must forever live and grow, 
Must forever live and grow. 



[36] 



Address of Mr. Hayes, of California 

He who plants within our hearts 

All this deep affection, 
Giving, when the form departs. 

Fadeless recollection, 
Will but clasp the unbroken chain 
Closer when we meet again. 
Closer when we meet again. 

Therefore dread I not to go 

O'er the silent river; 
Death, thy hastening oar I know; 

Bear me, thou life-giver, 
Through the water to the shore 
Where mine own have gone before. 
Where mine own have gone before. 

At this point the Speaker resumed the chair. 



[37] 



Address of Mr. Kahn, of California 

Mr. Speaker: I first met Sylvester Clark Smith when 
he was a member of the Senate of the State of California, 
in the early part of the year 1895, and from the day of 
our first meeting to the day of his death I had learned 
to honor, esteem, and respect him. He was a man who 
held decided views, and resolutely stood by them once 
he was convinced that he was right. He did not fear 
political oblivion, even though constancy to a cherished 
doctrine, the correctness of which he had decided for 
himself, meant for him political oblivion. He took a 
prominent part in the discussions that took place in the 
State senate upon questions that were uppermost before 
the people of his adopted State of California, and even 
those who were opposed to him politically admired his 
clearness of thought and his terseness of expression 
whenever he debated any of these great public questions. 
He witnessed a wonderful expansion of the various in- 
dustries in his own section of California — the great San 
Joaquin Valley — and was ever alert in safeguarding the 
rights and protecting the interests of his immediate con- 
stituency. He continued in the State Senate of California 
for eight years, and in 1904 was elected to the Fifty-ninth 
Congress. He soon acquired a commanding position in 
this House. As a member of the Connnittee on the Public 
Lands he was able to be of signal service to the West 
and the Nation. He was familiar with the great prob- 
lems affecting water and water rights; timber, mining, 
and homestead entries; and subjects of cognate character, 
problems in which the West is vitally interested. The 



[38] 



Address of Mr. Kahn, of California 

discovery of oil in Kern County, the county in which he 
had made his home since 1883, gave a marvelous impetus 
to the development of that section of California. This 
discovery gave rise to problems that required Federal 
legislation in their solution. He took an active part in 
perfecting that legislation. 

It was while he was a Member of Congress that the 
question of the conservation of the great natural resources 
of the Republic became prominent. While he believed 
in conservation, he stuck tenaciously to the view that the 
State in which the natural resources to be conserved were 
located ought to be the beneficiary of the conservation 
rather than the FederaL^Government. In uttering these 
views he simply expr^^ed the sentiment of the great ma- 
jority of the residems of the Western States. His fellow 
citizens believed that he was destined to a career of great 
usefulness, not only for his own district, not only for the 
State of California, but for the entire Nation. He was a 
student and eagerly burned the midnight oil in order to 
inform himself fully upon any subject that happened to 
challenge the attention of the Nation for the time being. 
He was a thinker and always drew his own deductions 
and his own conclusions after he had fully studied any 
particular question. Once having decided upon his 
course, he followed it with determination to the very end. 

It was a great shock to those who knew him when an- 
nouncement was made that he was stricken with a fatal 
malady and that his days on earth were numbered. He 
lingered for nearly two years before the end came. To 
the very last he had hoped that he might regain his 
strength sufficiently to enable him again to take his seat 
in this House and work for the welfare of those whom 
he represented here. But it was ordained otherwise, and 
on Sunday morning, January 26, 1913, he died in the very 



[39] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

heart of the orange groves of southern Cahfornia. His 
honesty, his integrity, his ability, made him a host of 
friends and admirers, and though the end was not unex- 
pected they were all shocked to hear the sad news of his 
passing. 

In his death this House has lost an able, earnest, effec- 
tive Member and the people of the State of California an 
industrious, energetic, and capable Representative. 



[40] 



Address of Mr. Pray, of Montana 

Mr. Speaker: Almost every Sunday during the present 
session memorial services have been held in the Hall of 
Representatives for departed friends and colleagues. 

It has often been said during the past few weeks that 
death's harvest in the Sixty-second Congress has been 
greater than in any previous Congress since the Civil War. 
I do not know whether this statement is literally true or 
not, but no one could fail to observe that during the 
present session of Congress, in the midst of our official 
activities and ambitious endeavors, the visitations of that 
mysterious and unwelcome messenger have been more 
frequent than at any other time in recent years. The 
crape-covered desk, the wreath of flowers, the vacant 
chair, and the absence of a familiar face all bear mute 
testimony of his presence among us and likewise of the 
pain and grief he has inflicted. 

The ceremonial of sorrow this afternoon is in memory 
of seven Senators and Representatives of the United 
States, and many eloquent and impressive eulogies have 
been delivered touching the life, character, and public 
services of each one of these distinguished men. I can 
not hope to add anything of worth to what has already 
been said on this occasion, but I should feel that I am 
wholly unappreciative of the deep friendship of one who 
but a few weeks ago was an honored Member of this 
House if I were to allow this opportunity to pass without 
paying a last tribute of respect to the memory of the Hon. 
Sylvester Clark Smith, who during four successive Con- 
gresses held a high place in the confidence and esteem of 
the Members of this important branch of the Federal 
Government. 



[41] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

He had been upon the floor of the House but seldom 
during the present Congress owing to the illness which 
finally resulted in his death, and which in all probability 
was largely due to his irresistible passion for work. I 
never knew a man who was more diligent in the perform- 
ance of a duty or more faithful in the discharge of every 
trust reposed in him. In his untimely demise the people 
of California and of the country at large have been de- 
prived of the services of an able, industrious, and con- 
scientious public servant. But the saddest thoughts of 
all come to us when we speak of the bereaved wddow and 
children upon whom the loss falls with greatest severity. 
May the knowledge of his distinguished services to his 
State and country, his spotless life and nobility of charac- 
ter, and the sweet memory of his devotion as a husband 
and father mitigate their grief and bring comfort to their 
hearts in this hour of sorrow. The great State of Cali- 
fornia will ever honor, cherish, and revere the memory 
of her distinguished son. 

Sylvester Clark Smith began life on a farm in the 
State of Iowa and worked his way through school and 
college. He removed to California and, while engaged as 
a teacher in the public schools, studied law, was admitted 
to the bar, and later achieved success in his chosen pro- 
fession. During this period, how^ever, his activities were 
not confined solely to the practice of law. 

For several years we find him engaged in writing edi- 
torials for an influential daily newspaper which had been 
established by his friends and neighbors in the city of 
Bakcrsfield. As a lawyer and editor he soon attained 
prominence in his State and was later chosen as a Repre- 
sentative from the eighth congressional district to the 
Fifty-ninth, Sixtieth, Sixty-first, and Sixty-second Con- 
gresses. Few men have been better equipped for service 



[42] 



Address of Mr. Pray, of Montana 



in the National House. He was intensely earnest in debate 
and always possessed a thorough understanding of his 
subject. He was a profound student and gave to every 
question that claimed his attention the most intense appli- 
cation. His mind was logical and his deductions accu- 
rate. During an intimate acquaintance, extending over 
a period of several years, I never knew him to compromise 
with expediency. He possessed in the highest sense the 
courage of his convictions and was ever ready to defend 
them, no matter what the effect might be upon his political 
fortunes. Neither the sharp criticisms of a partisan press 
nor the denunciations of political opponents could swerve 
him in the slightest degree from what he conscientiously 
believed to be the line of duty. He was an able advocate 
of any cause he espoused, but his deep sense of justice 
and fair play rendered him incapable of taking undue 
advantage of his adversar3\ 

Mr. Speaker, Sylvester Clark Smith was a self-made 
man, but he was extremely modest and unassuming and 
never made boastful mention of his early struggles and 
later achievements. His success in life was due to his 
sagacity, perseverance, and innate honesty. He was can- 
did, outspoken, and vsincere, but when he differed from 
others in respect to a question under consideration he 
was always courteous and respectful and never had it in 
his heart to wound the feelings of another. 

His name is written high upon the scroll of honor. His 
life is an inspiration to the young men of the country. I 
can not believe that our beloved friend and colleague 
has passed forever from our sight. 

There is no death; what seems so is transition. 

This life of mortal breath 
Is but a suburb of the life elysian 

Whose portal we call death. 



[43] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

Mr. Needham. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that Members may have five legislative days in which to 
extend their remarks in the Record. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from California [Mr. 
Needham] asks unanimous consent that Members may 
have five legislative days in which to extend their remarks 
in the Record. Is there objection? 

There was no objection. 

Mr. Finley resumed the chair as Speaker pro tempore. 

adjournmt;nt 

The Speaker pro tempore. In accordance with the reso- 
lution previously adopted, the Chair declares the House 
adjourned until 10.30 o'clock to-morrow morning. 

Accordingly (at 8 o'clock and 28 minutes p. m.) the 
House adjourned until to-morrow, Monday, February 24, 
1913, at 10.30 o'clock a. m. 



[44] 



Proceedings in the Senate 

Monday, January 27, 1913. 

A message from the House of Representatives, by J. C. 
South, its Chief Clerk, communicated to the Senate the 
intelligence of the death of Hon. Sylvester C. Smith, 
late a Representative from the State of California, and 
transmitted resolutions of the House thereon. 

Mr. Perkins. I ask the Chair to lay before the Senate 
the resolutions just received from the House of Repre- 
sentatives. 

The President pro tempore. The Chair lays before the 
Senate resolutions of the House of Representatives, which 
will be read. 

The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 

In the House of Representatives, 

January 27, 1913. 
Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of Hon. Sylvester Clark Smith, a Representative from 
the State of California. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate and transmit a copy to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect this House do now 
adjourn. 

Mr. Perkins. Mr. President, I offer the resolutions I 
send to the desk, for which I ask present consideration. 

The President pro tempore. The resolutions submitted 
by the Senator from California will be read. 

The Secretary read the resolutions (S. Res. 443), as 
follows : 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the 
announcement of the death of Hon. Sylvester C. Smith, late a 
Representative from the State of California. 



[45] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to 
the House of Representatives and transmit a copy thereof to the 
family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
the late Representative Sylvester C. Smith the Senate do now 
adjourn. 

The President pro tempore. The question is on agree- 
ing to the resolutions. 

The resolutions were unanimously agreed to; and (at 
4 o'clock and 51 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
to-morrow, Tuesday, January 28, 1913, at 12 o'clock 
meridian. 

Monday, February 10, 1913. 
Mr. Perkins. I desire to give notice that on Saturday, 
March 1, 1913, I shall ask the Senate to consider resolu- 
tions commemorative of the life and character of Hon. 
Sylvester Clark Smith, late a Member of the House 
from California. 

Monday, February 24, 1913. 
A message from the House of Representatives, by J. C. 
South, its Chief Clerk, transmitted to the Senate resolu- 
tions of the House of Representatives on the life and 
public services of Hon. Sylvester Clark Smith, late a 
Representative from the State of California. 

Saturday, March 1, 1913. 
The Senate met at 10 o'clock a. m. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Ulysses G. B. Pierce, D. D., offered 
the following prayer: 

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we thank Thee 
for the gracious Providence which brings us to this day 



[46] 



Proceedings in the Senate 



of solemn and reverent memory. As we recall the life 
and public service of him whom we this day commemo- 
rate, we pray Thee to inspire our minds and to give utter- 
ance to our lips that we may iitly honor the life which 
Thou hast called to Thy nearer presence and to Thy 
higher service. 

We pray Thee, our Father, to comfort those that 
mourn. Uphold them by Thy heavenly grace and grant 
that neither the height of remembered joys nor the depth 
of sorrows that can not be forgotten, nor the present 
with its burdens nor the future with its loneliness may be 
able to separate them from the love of God which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord. 

In the name of Him who abolished death and brought 
life and immortality to light, hear Thou our prayer. 
Amen. 

Mr. Perkins. Mr. President, I ask the Chair to lay 
before the Senate resolutions from the House of Repre- 
sentatives on the death of the late Representative Syl- 
vester C. Smith. 

The Presiding Officer (Mr. Page in the chair). The 
Chair lays before the Senate resolutions from the House 
of Representatives, which will be read. 

The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 

In the House of Representatives, 

February 23, 1913. 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended 
that opportunity may be given for tribute to the memory of 
Hon. Sylvester Clark Smith, late a Member of this House from 
the State of California. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
of the deceased and in recognition of his distinguished public 
career the House at the conclusion of the memorial exercises 
of the day shall stand adjourned. 



11357°— 14 4 [47] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Smith 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to the 
family of the deceased. 

Mr. Perkins. Mr. President, I offer the resolutions 
which I send to the desk, and ask for their adoption. 

The Presiding Officer. The Senator from California 
offers resolutions, which will be read. 

The resolutions (S. Res. 493) were read, considered by 
unanimous consent, and unanimously agreed to, as fol- 
lows: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sorrow of the 
death of Hon. Sylvester Clark Smith, late a Member of the 
House of Representatives from the State of California. 

Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the 
deceased the business of the Senate be suspended in order that 
proper tribute may be paid his high character and distinguished 
public services. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these 
resolutions to the House of Representatives and to the family 
of the deceased. 



[48] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Perkins, of California 

Mr. President: In the death of Sylvester C. Smith 
California has lost one of the ablest and most conscien- 
tious men who ever represented that State in Congress. 

When just of age he went from Iowa to the Pacific 
coast, at about the time when the first signs of that rapid 
growth which has since characterized the Golden State 
began to manifest themselves. 

He began life there by teaching in the interior valleys, 
and soon selected as his permanent abode Bakersfield, 
at the upper end of the San Joaquin Valley, which region 
was then sparsely settled and the inhabitants engaged 
in agriculture of a comparatively primitive character. 

His energy and ambition were marked and were dem- 
onstrated in his study of law while pursuing the arduous 
calling of teaching. On admittance to the bar he at once 
identified himself with the efforts of the people to de- 
velop the vast resources of that part of the State. 

Ordinarily the region was apparently barren, owing to 
lack of rainfall. The great need was water, and when 
the farmers began to agitate the subject of irrigation he 
threw himself into the movement with his whole heart, 
and to his intelligent and constant work is due in a very 
great measure the present surprising prosperity of the 
San Joaquin Valley. 

In the prosecution of his public-spirited designs he 
became editor and later proprietor of the leading news- 
paper in that part of the State, and he retained his con- 
nection with it up to the time of his death. 



[49] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 

In law, in journalism, and in politics he worked con- 
stantly for the public good, and he had the satisfaction 
of seeing that his efforts were appreciated and his influ- 
ence sought in every movement for the advancement of 
the community in which he lived and of the entire State. 

He was the active friend of irrigation everywhere, and 
early perceived the necessity for conserving the forests 
for the benefit of the dwellers in the valleys. 

He came into contact with the hardy and adventurous 
cultivators of the soil in many ways, and studied their 
needs and resources. 

In connection with irrigation he came into personal 
contact with the great movement to develop the water 
resources of the mountains for power purposes. 

In speaking in Congress on this subject he said: 

In the district which I have the honor to represent here many 
thousands of dry and sterile acres have been made fruitful — are 
now golden and purple with the orange and the grape — and thou- 
sands have found happy homes because power from a mountain 
stream makes pumping for irrigation possible. 

Development in this direction has just begun. Hundreds of 
thousands of acres yet await the advent of the home builder and 
the pump. 

Villages and towns may have productive industries because of 
the presence of suitable power facilities, and modern lines of 
transportation arc made possible in the same way. 

This prediction has been fulfilled, and the development 
in manufacturing and in transportation facilities in Cali- 
fornia through the use of streams to develop electric 
power has been marvelous, and this source of power has 
as yet been only touched. 

His knowledge of land laws and his intimate acquain- 
tance with the public lands and questions growing out of 
them caused him to be selected as a member of the Public 
Lands Committee, on which he served throughout his 



[50] 



Address of Mr. Perkins, of California 

congressional career, and of which he became one of the 
most useful and influential members. 

He took a deep interest in educational subjects, and 
served also on the Committee on Education, where his early 
experience as a teacher made his service of great value. 

Congressman Smith was very zealous in his advocacy 
of the Panama-Pacific Exposition at San Francisco, real- 
izing that the celebration of the opening of the canal 
would mark the beginning of a new era for his State. 

He had seen the wonderful growth in population and 
in production during the time of his residence in Cali- 
fornia, and realized that the growth in the immediate 
future would far surpass that of the past. 

He had seen the population increase threefold, and the 
rural population increase even in the past 10 years from 
7.8 per square mile to 15.2. 

And the increase was in the direction in which he had 
always labored — to build up interior counties, to settle 
the vast spaces left uncultivated, to diversify crops, and 
to add to the true wealth of the State by bringing every 
acre of land under cultivation. 

He saw this object in a fair way of accomplishment, 
and to this his own efforts in no small degree contributed. 

He was ambitious to show to the world through the 
exposition what California is and of what it is capable, 
and he was firm in the belief that the Panama Canal 
would eventually make the Pacific coast the most popu- 
lous and the most prosperous portion of our great country. 

He also did good work as member of the Committee on 
Pacific Railroads and the Committee on Labor, in which 
subjects he was unusually informed. 

In the discussion of all questions before the House, in 
which he took an interest. Congressman Smith displayed 
a clear and logical mind and a grasp of subject which 



[51] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Smith 



made him one of the strong men of that body and com- 
manded confidence in liis judgment. 

Tliis was specially observable in all that related to land 
matters, to post-office affairs, to public utilities, and the 
development of the resources of the country. 

Financial questions were debated by him with such 
clearness and manifest command of the subjects and wide 
knowledge of business methods that his advice was sought 
by the Monetary Commission, of which he was made 
a member and on which he served with conspicuous 
ability. 

In everything that could forward the welfare of the 
common people of the United States, as well as that of the 
mass of the people of California in particular, Congress- 
man Smith took a prominent part. Having to do, from 
the commencement of his career, with the hard-working, 
industrious, and ambitious tillers of the soil, he knew 
them intimately, sympathized with them, and entered 
heart and soul into their efforts to better conditions, with 
which he was perfectly familiar. To work of this kind 
he devoted his best talents, and in all the discussions in 
Congress in which he took part there is observable that 
kindly and helpful spirit in respect to persons of this 
class which endeared him to them and aroused in them 
implicit confidence in him as a public man. 

In treating of questions involving the betterment of the 
conditions of the people in California, as elsewhere, it is 
a notable characteristic that he dealt in simple fundamen- 
tal facts, to which he applied his wide knowledge of law, 
and his arguments and advice were received with a re- 
spect which was full acknowledgment of his unselfishness, 
honesty, and ability. 

During the last few years of his life his devotion to 
what he deemed his duty was as steadfast as when he 
was in the fullness of his strength. 

[52] 



'Address of Mr. Perkins, of California 

He was ever engaged in work for the common good, 
even when his failing health was such as to alarm his 
friends. 

His death itself is believed to have been very materially 
hastened by the work he did in behalf of temperance in 
his home city. 

Up to the very end he was engaged with all the strength 
he could command in an effort to better conditions in 
relation to the liquor traffic. 

He died, as he lived, fighting for what he believed to 
be right, and for the advancement of the interests of the 
public which he served with all the strength and ability 
that in him lay. 

May we so live that when the last summons comes, as 
it must to us all sooner or later, our friends and relatives 
can say of us, as we do of him, that we fearlessly did our 
duty and left a legacy of character and honor which is 
beyond price. 

Sunset and evening star. 

And one clear call for me! 
And may there be no moaning of tlie bar 

"When I put out to sea. 

Twilight and evening bell. 

And after that the dark! 
And may there be no sadness of farewell 

When I embark. 

For though from out our bourne of time and place 

The flood may bear me far, 
I hope to see my Pilot face to face 

When I have crossed the bar. 



[53] 



Address of Mr. Hitchcock, of Nebraska 

Mr. President: I deem it a melancholy privilege, in 
supporting the resolutions presented by the Senator from 
California [Mr. Perkins] in memory of former Repre- 
sentative Smith, from that State, to testify to his public 
service as a Member of the House of Representatives. It 
was my pleasure while serving in that House to know 
Mr. Smith. I saw him come there from his far-distant 
constituency; I witnessed his advent as a new and inex- 
perienced legislator; and I saw the earnestness and sin- 
cerity, as well as the ability and loyalty, with which he 
took hold of his public duties. 

Almost from the very first Representative Smith at- 
tracted attention even in that very large body of which 
he was a Member. His fidelity and his industry in his 
work upon the questions that particularly interested the 
people of California and the West generally, coupled 
with his natural eloquence as a public speaker, made him 
at once a leader among the western Members in the House 
of Representatives. 

In debate his style was incisive, direct, and forceful; 
but there was in his voice something of the clarion call, 
which at once attracted attention and brought support. 
Had he lived to enjoy longer service, I have no doubt he 
would have attained a reputation far beyond the ordi- 
nary. As it was, among the Members of the House he 
had attained such a position when his service closed that 
he was properly regarded as a leader and as a faithful 
servant of the people, loyal to their interests and eloquent 
in defending them. 

The West has perhaps been at a disadvantage, Mr. 
President, in sending its Representatives to the Capitol. 



[54; 



Address of Mr. Hitchcock, of Nebraska 



It has not, as a rule, kept them here long enough to give 
them that experience which has marked the service of 
Representatives from other portions of the country, but 
Representative Smith was a Member who in a short term 
of service, by the brilliant qualities of his mind and by 
his faithfulness and fidelity to duty, marked himself as 
a natural leader of men and an admirable public servant. 



[55] 



Address of Mr. Gronna, of North Dakota 

Mr. President: I shall not attempt to add anything of 
worth to what has been said concerning the life history 
of Mr. Sylvester Clark Smith, late a Representative 
from the State of California. That has been so beauti- 
fully pictured by Senators who have preceded me. But 
I can not allow this opportunity to pass without paying 
a last tribute of respect to his life and memory as a man 
and his worth as a legislator during the time we served 
together as Members of the House of Representatives. 

I first became acquainted with Mr. Smith at the begin- 
ning of the Fifty-ninth Congress. We both came to Con- 
gress at the same time and both were appointed on the 
Committee on Public Lands and served for a period of 
nearly six years, during which time this committee had 
before it many complicated questions which were diffi- 
cult to solve. 

Mr. Smith was a strong factor in shaping the legisla- 
tion that came before this committee. By his profound 
and logical reasoning he early demonstrated his ability 
as a legislator. His frank and consistent position won 
for him the admiration of not only those who agreed 
with him but also those who opposed him in the views 
which he held. 

Mr. Smith was a strong partisan, an ardent Republican 
of the old school. He believed in party organization and 
party responsibility. I did not always agree with him on 
the policies to be pursued in maintaining a party, nor 
did I always agree with him on legislation, but whether 
we agreed or disagreed on policies and certain principles 
I always admired him for his frankness and the cour- 



[56] 



Address of Mr. Gronna, of North Dakota 

ageous stand he took upon public questions which 
vitally concerned the people. Mr. Smith had an apti- 
tude for legislative work, he was a profound student, a 
forceful speaker, and a ready debater. I was among 
those who early became his friends; he won the admira- 
tion of the entire membership of the House for the cour- 
age and the ability he possessed. 

We often wonder why a person is taken away just at 
a time when his work has begun to show results and his 
usefulness to society is most sadly missed, but it is beyond 
human power to fully comprehend the mysteries of life 
and death. We only know that life is uncertain; our days 
of earthly existence may be many or they may be few; and 
it is all under the control and guidance of the Omnipotent 
Ruler of the universe. 



[57] 



Address of Mr. Sheppard, of Texas 

Mr. President: Through several Congresses I was a 
Member of the House of Representatives with Sylvester 
Clark Smith. My acquaintance with him was not inti- 
mate, but I knew him sufficiently well to grasp his distinc- 
tive qualities. He was affiliated with the Republican 
Party, to which he gave a vigorous and unswerving devo- 
tion. Associated as I was with the Democratic side of 
the House, coming from a different section of the country, 
with different traditions and a different environment, con- 
nected with different committees and adopting a different 
line of congressional work, I did not have the opportunity 
to develop with Mr. Smith more than the usual relations 
between Representatives thus situated. 

Our nearest and dearest friends are rarely in position 
to judge our lives with true discrimination and impar- 
tiality. Affection frequently blinds them to our faults 
and leads them to magnify our virtues. It often happens 
that our antagonists in the various struggles of life are 
most capable of weighing the real significance of what 
we do and say. Our opponents, by compelling us to keep 
our weapons sharp and ready, bring out what is best and 
strongest in us while we live, and sometimes become our 
sincerest eulogists when we die. 

From my place among the Democrats of the House of 
Representatives I came to recognize in Sylvester Smith 
one of the most effective and interesting figures among the 
Republicans of that historic Chamber. His manner was 
always emphatic, his ideas original and unique, his lan- 
guage clear and forceful. His voice would penetrate the 
tumult of congressional debate as the note of a trumpet 



[58] 



Address of Mr. Sheppard, of Texas 



pierces the crash of battle. Firm in conviction, quick in 
action, convincing in argument, lucid in expression, he 
was on the threshold of a great national career when 
disease laid its pitiless hand upon him. 

He was energy itself in the service of his constituents. 
In visiting the departments, in appearing before commit- 
tees, in advocating measures on the floor of the House for 
the benefit of his district and his State, he was absolutely 
untiring and uniformly successful. Loyal as he was to 
local interests, true as he was to party principle, he was 
equally devoted to the welfare of the country as a whole, 
and a genuine patriotism illumined both his public and 
private life. 

Mr. President, the impression Sylvester Smith has 
left in my memory is that of a strong intellect, an hon- 
est heart, a virile personality, a statesman of unusual 
force, an advocate of unusual power, a great and pure 
American. 

May all the peace immortals know be his; may more 
such men be ours. 



[59] 



:y> 



LB 014 



